Virtually unknown just a few years ago, before “The Social Network” and “The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo”, Rooney Mara’s reputation and acting resume have in the meantime skyrocketed, now including titles such as “Ain’t Them Bodies Saints”, Steven Soderbergh’s “Side Effects”, plus the soon to open “Her” and a yet to be titled Terrence Malick Project.

And let us not forget about “The Girl Who Played with Fire”, which has to take off one of these days, Stephen Daldry’s “Trash”, and… Todd Haynes’ “Carol”. “Carol”, picked up by The Weinstein Company not long ago and thus already lining itself up as a 2015 Oscar contender, was initially supposed to star Cate Blanchett and Mia Wasikowska, but for unknown reasons the latter has been replaced by Mara.

Wasikowska is herself an up and coming and incredibly talented young thespian, being attached to high-profile projects such as David Cronenberg’s “Maps to the Stars” and “Madame Bovary”, so I’m guessing it wasn’t easy for Haynes, the Academy Award nominated scribe of “Far from Heaven”, to make the substitution.

And yet somehow, I feel like he’s made the right decision, since “Carol”, based on Patricia Highsmith’s “The Price of Salt” novel, is to be a lesbian love story between the two protagonists. And no offense to Mia, but Rooney has established herself as a stronger sexual being following “The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo” and “Side Effects” and so I can see her develop chemistry with the lovely Cate more easily. Who’s with me?